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Police have arrested a friend of one of the suspects in the killing of British soldier Lee Rigby in Woolwich after a TV interview in the UK.

Abu Nusaybah appeared on the BBC’s newsnight programme alleging that his friend Michael Adebolajo was asked to work for the MI5 just six months ago.

He also said that Adebolajo attended meetings of the now-banned al-Muhajiroun. Members of the group confirmed the suspect is the man seen in footage shot at meetings standing behind the leader Anjem Choudary.

Nusaybah claimed that his friend became radicalised six months ago, which he attributes to alleged experiences of sexual assault at the hands of the authorities in Kenya.

Arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000, Nusaybah is being held in a south London police station.

Following the soldier’s death the numbers of Islamophobic hate crimes have reported at ten times the usual rate. Muslim leaders have accused far-right extremists of attempting to capitalise on the murder.

British National Party leader and MEP Nick Griffin left a floral tribute for the soldier, and took the opportunity to say the attacks were the result of ‘mass immigration’, before causing a stir on twitter with a series of provocative tweets.

The far right English Defence League are staging a march in Newcastle on Saturday and another is scheduled for London on Monday.